Amalgamator with preliminary slime remover



Feb. 10, 1948. c. J. WHITLOCK AMALGAMATOR WITH PRELIMINARY SLIME REMQVER Filed Feb. 6, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 aware JW/w'llocib Feb. 10, 1948. c. .1. WHITLOCK AMALGAMATOR WITH' PREL;MINARY SLIME REMOVER Filed Feb. 6, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Claude .1 W/zz'ilacb:

y and Feb. 10, 1948. c. .1. WHITLOCK AMALGAMA TOR WITH PRELIMINARY SLIME REMOVER Filed Feb. 6, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet s Inventor 67mm J Wfu'ilacb Feb. 10, 1948. I CLIJ. WHITLOCK 2,435,812

AMALGAMATOR WITH PRELIMINARY SLIME R EMOVER Filed Feb. 6, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Feb. 10, 1948. c. .1. WHITLOCK AMALGAMATOR WITH PRELIMINARY SLIME REMOVER Filed Fb. 6, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor flame J )V/az'ilacli) sectional View on line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Patented Feb. 10, 1948 UNITED *STATES PATENT OFFICE AMAIIGAMA'IOR WITH PRELIMINARY SLIll/IE REMOVER Claude J. whitl'ock san Bernardino, Calif.

iA'pplicationFebruary 6, 1943,.Serial No. 475,016

:This invention relates to-new and useful improvements in separators such l as are employed for eparating valuablermetals from ore and more i especially to amalgamators with preliminary slime removers. -The principal object of the presentlinvention ls'to provide a separatorof the character indicated which. in-use will increase the ore tonnage 'handled'per hour over correspondingly sizedmachines now on the market. i Another important object of-the invention is to provide a separator of the characterindicated which is self-operating and requires little human attention.

Still another importantobject ofthe invention is to provide such aseparatorwhichwillbe capable of separating'valuable metals. from ore in a precision-like manner.

Other'objects and advantages Of=the invention will become apparenttothe reader of the follow-'- ing description. In the drawings:

Figure 1' is a sideelevational view of the machine.

Figure'Z is a :top plan View.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a'vertical sectional view through the machine.

Figure 5 is-a section on"1ine-5--5 of Figure l. Figure 6 is a section on line 66 of Figure 4. Figure '7 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 1-7 of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed Figure 9 is a fragmentary side elevational view,

partly in section showing the jarring means.

Figure 10 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line Ill- 40' of Figure 4.

.. having at its central portion a depending well 'I" formed with a plurality of-openings 8' in the-bottom thereof.

Numeral 9 denotes a hollow shaftwhich extends verticallythrcugh the shell 5p The. upper'end of the shaftze-has a drive pulley I0, and brace'members l I extend from the upper portion of the shell 5 to 'a-bealing- 1-2 fortheshaft 9.

-'An=inverted-frusto-conical-shaped hopper I3 is "located atthe top of the shell 5 for directing 10 crushed ore onto a conical pan 14; below which is located a convertingbowll5. 'The top side of thepan M has a plurality of concentrically dis- I posedandspaced-ribs l6, thepan l4 being .formed with openings ll arranged: in rows adjacent said ribs IS. The bowl I5 is welded orotherwise secured tothe shaft-9 just-below openings [8- formed 'Below thepan l5 is aconverting cone I9; the

wlowermost portion of which is cutaway to define a passagewayim-so that material can pass downwardly and intoan' amalgamating chamber 2 l,

which chamber has a bottom 22; raised at its central portion, atWhich point a sleeve 23 is provided,

r extending upwardly around the'shaft 9 and provided with a cap -24,-thus providing a water seal. Arms 25project laterally from the shaft B-and carry a plurality of depending fingers --2B,-this "structure defining rakes for ;-operation %in' the amalgamating chamber 2 I.

A"circumferentialjacket 21 is provided on'the shel l 5' atthe amalgamating chamber 2| and at the upper portion ofrthe amalgamatingchamber 2 l th'e shell 5 is formed with openings 28 through I which materials canbe thrown by the-fingers 26 from the chamber 2| into-the jacket Zl. Below the amalgamating chamber bottom 22,

= the'shell 5 is formedwith a" plurality'of. openings f 29 fondeliveringthe materials from the-jacket 2l ""onto a converting cone 30. The lower portion of 'the amalgamating' chamber 2! has an" amalgam From the converting cone 30, the materials drop into a lower chamber 3| an'dvatthis point ofithe shaft 9-, laterally disposed arms 32 are provided with a plurality of. depending fingers 33; certain irfingers 34 dipping into the bottom Gand other :finger'sv 35 dipping into the'well 1, seats to barely agitate all materials'contained in thisilower cham- 5 beriandtits environs.

- :The lower 'p'ortion'of the shel1l5 has a jacket 36 communicating with the lower chamber 3| through openings 31 and obviously this jacket serves to catch tailings thrown off by the rake fingers 33, 34 and 35, numeral 38 denoting a chute for the tailings.

As shown in Figures 4 and 9, the shell has vertical legs 40 and horizontal members 4| connect the legs, and also serve to support a bearing 42.

Secured on the bearing 42 is a plate 43 upon which is located a cam 44. Attached to the lower portion of the shaft 9 is a collar 45 which has a cam surface cooperative with the cam 44, the object being that at every revolution of the shaft 9, the shaft 9 is raised and then suddenly dropped. This preferably occurs about 400 times a minute due to the 400 R. P. M. of the shaft.

To reach the compartments 2| and 3|, the side of the shell 5 is provided with doors 46, 41 and suitable detent means 48 is provided for each of these doors.

The openings in the bottom of the well I through which the concentrated metals are allowed to pass are normally closed by flap valves 50 (see Fig. hingedly secured, as at 5|, to plates 52 which in turn are secured to the bottom of the well 1.

Each of the fiap valves 50 has an angular bracket 53 secured thereto which depends a substantial distance below the well and on this is pivotally secured a short arm 54 apertured to receive one end of an elongated tension spring 55, this spring extending to an anchoring hook 56 which may be welded or otherwise secured to the plate 52 of an adjacent valve structure.

The lower portion of the shaft 9 has several fingers 51 projecting laterally therefrom and these, when the shaft 9 is rotating, strike the depending legs 54 and cause successive opening of the valve flap plates 50.

In the event it is desired to maintain the valve members 5!] closed, the leg members 54 can be swung upwardly toward the left, as shown in Figure 12, and the springs 55 will serve to maintain these legs in this inoperative position.

The ore materials mixed with water are fed into the hopper l 3 in any suitable manner to issue from said hopper, under the influence of gravity, into the pan [4 which, together with the converting bowl I5, functions as a centrifugal separator draining the water and slime therefrom and thereby reducing the materials to solids which are thrown out of the pan, under centrifugal force, to fall into the cone IS. The water and slime drain through the openings H in the pan 14 into said bowl l5 and are directed thereby through the openings l'8 into the shaft 9 to discharge out of the bottom of said shaft. The cone l9 directs the solids to the opening to issue from said opening and fall into the bottom of the amalgamating chamber 2i. In said chamber 2|, the solids are agitated by the fingers 2B, the heavier solids gravitating to the bottom of said chamber, for instance, the free gold to be caught by mercury provided in the bottom of said chamber 2|. The amalgamated heavier solids are drawn off through the drain 3|. The lighter solids rise to the top in said chamber 2| and are forced out of the same by the fingers 26 and under the action of centrifugal force into the jacket 21, by way of the openings 28. From the jacket 21, said lighter solids pass into the cone 30 by way of the openings 29. From the cone 3|], the lighter materials discharge into the lower chamber 3| in which, under the agitating action of the rake fingers 33, and 34, the tailings rise to the top and are thrown, under the action of centrifugal force, into the jacket 36 by way of the openings 31 to discharge out of the chute 38. The heavier matter in the chamber 3| is concentrated in the bottom thereof to discharge out of the well 1 intermittently under control of the valves 50 op-' erated in the manner already described.

While the foregoing specification sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be iesorted to without departing from the spirit'and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a separator of the class described, an upright shell having a central transverse partition therein dividing the same into an upper and a lower compartment, respectively, for successively receiving are material therein, an axial hollow shaft extending through said shell for rotation and endwise reciprocation and having upper side inlet apertures therein, an annular feed hopper in the top of the shell for receiving ore material and water and having a discharge aperture surrounding said shaft for discharging ore material and water into the top of the upper compartment, a downwardly tapering bowl fixed concentrically on said shaft for rotation thereby beneath said hopper with the bottom thereof communicating with said inlet apertures and for directing slime and 'water from the ore material to said apertures to pass into said shaft and drain out of the same, a downwardly tapering pan for receiving the ore material from said hopper fixed in the top of said bowl for rotation thereby and having agitating ribs and drain apertures therein adapting the same to function as a centrifugal and gravity separator for separating the solids in the ore material from the water and slime and discharging the solids over the edge of the pan, while the slime discharges through the drain apertures in said bowl, amalgamating means in the bottom of the upper compartment, for amalgamating the solids discharged from said pan, means in the bottom of the lower compartment for concentrating the heavier solids in said bottom and separating and discharging tailings therefrom, and means to rotate and reciprocate said shaft.

2. In a separator of the class described, an upright shell having a central transverse partition therein dividing the same into an upper and a lower compartment, respectively, for successively receiving ore material therein, said partition being of conical form, an axial hollow shaft extending through said shell and partition for rotaticn and endwise reciprocation and having upper side inlet apertures therein, an annular feed hopper in the top of the upper compartment for receiving ore material and water and having a discharge aperture surrounding said shaft, a downwardly tapering bowl fixed concentrically on said shaftfor rotation thereby beneath said hopper with the bottom thereof communicating with said inlet apertures and for directing slime and water from the ore material to said apertures to pass into said shaft and drain out of the same, a downwardly tapering pan for receiving ore material and water from said hopper fixed in the top of said bowl for rotation thereby and having agitating ribs and drain apertures therein adapting the same to function as a centrifugal and gravity separator for separating the solids in the ore material from the slime and water and dis- 5 charging the solids over the edge of the pan while the slime and water discharges through the drain apertures into said bowl, and means to rotate and reciprocate said shaft.

CLAUDE J. WHITLOCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 4,964 Crosby July 9, 1872 24,706 Wheeler July 5, 1859 42,596 Pletsch May 3, 1864 262,884 Arrington Aug. 15, 1882 Number Number 15 361,035 

